Dallas Mavericks Blog

Kaman won’t be cleared until concussion symptoms are gone

PORTLAND, Ore. — Times like Tuesday night make coach Rick Carlisle happy that the Mavericks have four centers.

The crowded house got a little less congested when Chris Kaman sat out against the Portland Trail Blazers after suffering a concussion in practice Monday.

Kaman will have to pass the NBA’s concussion tests before he will be cleared to play again after taking a spill and hitting his head on the court.

“He’ll be back when his symptoms abate,” Carlisle said. “We don’t know a timetable for it. We don’t think it’s that serious, but these things you got to be very careful with.”

Kaman got tangled up with teammates while playing defense during Monday’s practice and hit the floor hard. After being evaluated through the day on Tuesday, Kaman was ruled out for the Blazers game.

“There’s a test, and every NBA player takes a baseline test before the season so they have a comparison, and at such time he’s able to pass that test, he’ll be cleared,” Carlisle said.

After playing four centers in Sunday’s game against Phoenix, Carlisle said he’s glad to have that kind of depth for situations just like this.

“We need all those guys,” he said. “But this is a hit for us. Chris has played very well for us this year. Hopefully he’ll be back soon.

“We got three guys in the mix. If we go smaller, [Shawn] Marion might play five. So that’s how it is. We’ll go from here and hope he gets back cleared to play soon.”

Kaman, who is averaging 12.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, had seen his playing time drop significantly in the last two games, playing just 11 minutes against Phoenix on Sunday. Bernard James got his second start Tuesday, with Elton Brand and Brandan Wright coming off the bench.

The depth came in handy quickly against the Blazers. Brand came up with two quick fouls in the first quarter just three minutes after entering the game, which brought Wright into the game.